A Reminder for Civil Discourse

By Louise UffelmanDecember 11, 2015

Bill Brock, a 1953 graduate of Washington and Lee University and chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1977 to 1981, published an op-ed in the Friday, Dec. 11, edition of the Washington Post.

He begins, “It is time for Republicans to ask ourselves a question: Are we so obsessed with the damage we believe Barack Obama and the American left are doing to the values we hold dear that we would ignore the serious threat posed by the candidacy of Donald Trump — or is there something even more dangerous going on?”

Bill, who served in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from 1963 to 1977 representing Tennessee, continues, “A truly free society, one that gives its citizens the responsibility of participation, can function only to the extent there is civil discourse. We can engage in a mutual search for solutions only to the extent that we agree a problem exists. That can never happen unless we talk to each other, listen to each other and respect the fact that honorable people can reach different conclusions. When that sense of comity is missing, we are at risk.”